When the Red Sox signed Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract in January, an 8.64 ERA can’t be what they had in mind – but the architect of the deal remains confident in the move after two rough appearances on the mound this spring.
“He’s a veteran starting pitcher with a proven track record of success,” Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer told ‘The Greg Hill Show’ during a regular appearance on Thursday. “During the season and particularly the postseason, he’s been unflappable. No moment has gotten too big. [He’s] certainly not off to the start that he wanted or that we envisioned. But I think for him, he’s a guy that manages hard contact and because of that he’s always going to be somewhat susceptible to balls in play and finding holes.
“Right now, his execution is a bit off. We’ve seen glimpses of what he’s capable of doing the first couple of innings vs. San Diego, he was in control. And then they made the adjustment – they were swinging early, they were aggressive, and hitting pitches in the zone, and he gave up a couple of hits first pitch.”
Suarez is coming off back-to-back seasons in Philadelphia where his ERA was below 3.5, with more than 25 starts per year. The lefty pitcher’s performances, unfortunately, has been emblematic of one of the major issues plaguing the 4-8 Sox early in the season: the rotation.
And that was supposed to be a strength of this roster construction.
He’s barely been able to last past the fourth inning in his two starts and it’s been a grind: he totaled 151 pitches through those innings, and only five strikeouts. That’s 18.6 pitches per inning, well above his 15.4 pitches per inning average last year.
The good news, according to Breslow, is that it doesn’t look like Suarez, 30, is suffering from a physical decline. Breslow is not putting the onus to solve these early season struggles entirely on the pitcher himself, either.
“I think now it’s on him and the rest, all of us, to make that adjustment. But he’s going to be just fine. The stuff is very much in line with what it’s been in terms of velo and shape, the execution is just a bit off right now,” Breslow said.
Suarez’s next start comes against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, April 11. He’ll take the mound at Busch Stadium at 7:15 p.m.
